The Great Poochini

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is also the
author of The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek, and
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Hom

This marvellous spoof on opera, “cat” burglars, and the pleasures of
fame will delight kids from 4 to 80 who love dogs, music, and parody.
The punning jokes run through the text and illustrations, from the mock
billboards that decorate the book’s endpapers (“The Dalmation of
Faust,” “Tails of Hoffman,” and “La Nozze di FigaRover”) to
the classic architecture of the opera house, “The Muttropolitan.”

The hero, Signor Poochini, passes by day for an ordinary dog named
Jack. By night, he sneaks out through a window to satisfy fans as “the
Great Poochini, the most renowned opera-singing dog of his generation”
and perhaps the finest canine tenor to have graced the opera stage.

Jack’s master normally leaves his bedroom window open and has no idea
of his pet’s secret life. When Hersh inadvertently leaves Jack locked
in the house one night with the windows closed, it seems that Signor
Poochini may miss his starring role in the premiere of Dog
Giovanni—until a burglar opens the window. Donning a dashing hat and a
blanket cloak, Jack banishes the intruder with a “sword” (a French
breadstick) and speeds to the Muttropolitan. He is just in time to give
one of his best performances.

The mix of fantasy and realism is beautifully handled in the energy and
hilarity of both text and drawings. Very highly recommended.